Exploring A Forest Of Bottle Trees On Route 66

Probably one of the coolest roadside stops I have ever encountered. Elmer Long has a new found passion in welding, so he decided to turn his front yard into one of the most incredible outdoor art works anyone will ever seen; 200 trees and thousands of bottles later, Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch becomes a must roadside stop on the historic Route 66.

so many bottles and trees

Where: In the town Oro Grande between Victorville and Barstow in Southern California. This is on the National Trails HWY aka Route 66 and is a detour off of I-15. On your next trip to Las Vegas or the Mojave National Preserve, this is absolutely a must visit. This detour will only add about 20 minutes to your trip time, but you will not regret it.Exact Address For GPS: 24266 National Trails Hwy Oro Grande, CA 92368When: Anytime! It’s a roadside stop but I’m pretty sure he will close down the place after dark.

my visit at the bottle tree ranch

First off, I have to say that I did an absolutely terrible visit here. I was on my way back from the Mojave National Preserve, and this was on the way, so I decided that I would visit this place on my way back. It was in December so I pretty much rushed to get to this place before the sun went down. I was afraid that they would close it at 5pm. Getting there in a hurry wasn’t the worst part, because the thing was that I had to pee so badly.

Sunset at the bottle tree ranch

When I was there, there was no one else. The property owners weren’t there either, so I couldn’t talk to anyone or ask if I could used the restroom. At this point, I had been holding it in for about almost an hour because I was so afraid that I would miss the place.

I literally walked around with my legs crossed. As stunned by the awesomeness of this place as I was, I couldn’t wait to leave to go find a restroom. I almost exploded. I spent about 5 or 10 minutes here really looking at the details of the trees and snapping pictures. The fact that I started to sweat justify why these images turn out quite badly. I literally was throwing my point and shoot at everything and pressing the button like there was no tomorrow.

Outside of the bottle tree ranch. You can just park in front off the road

This place is absolutely wonderful. It’s a size of a big front lawn of someone’s house. The parking is fine as well. You will just pull off the road and park in front of the gate. I can see parking becoming a bit of a problem if there are more people. But I was the only one, so I pretty had the whole place to myself.

Definitely a worth visit. A little detour through small towns on Route 66 and making a roadside stop here make it a trip on its own! Make sure to visit Elmer’s soon.

I was going to, but there were houses along the side of the road and i felt awkward if i pee. I just couldn’t tell which field is just abandoned and which one was someone’s property. hahaha this place is so cool and you have to go!